Community rallies to replace items lost in school fire

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A community pulls together to replace items lost in an elementary school fire.

Donations of all kinds poured in at Old Dock Elementary School after the school lost four classrooms, a computer lab, media center and an auditorium in a fire last week.

Parent and event organizer Jennifer Boyd says the place holds a lot of history.

“I was a student here; my parents were students here,” Boyd said.

Her children are now students here, and Boyd said the fundraiser all started from her second grader.

“We came out that morning and he gets home and goes mommy what can we do to help?” Boyd said.

Boyd says the donations are coming in all shapes and sizes, but she says the little things are what bring the biggest surprises.

“One of the first grade teachers in the first grade classroom that was lost asked for a radio and UNCW came out this morning and bought us a radio,” Boyd said. “You know people don’t think about radios when they think about school. It just tickled us to death, because these kids go over their spelling words with the radio.”

Principal Ronna Gore said while the help pours in, they are able to begin to pick up the pieces.

“We are starting the rebuilding process,” Gore said. “We are starting to bring in the mobile units. So I guess that’s where we’re at.”

Boyd said the community has never lost strength through this tragedy.

“I’ve always know it was strong, but I didn’t realize just how special this school really was to the community until this disaster,” Boyd said.

The cause of the fire was undetermined, but fire officials do not suspect arson.

If you missed the event today, Boyd says they will be in the gym again on Monday from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm collecting donations.